What Makes Us

“This coming-of-age story has heft—and much relevance. . . . An excellent choice.”
—School Library Journal

Eran Sharon knows nothing of his father except that he left when Eran was a baby. Now a senior in high school and living with his protective but tight-lipped mother, Eran is passionate about social justice and equality. When he learns that the Houston police have launched a program to increase traffic stops, Eran organizes a peaceful protest. But when a heated moment at the protest goes viral, a reporter connects the Sharon family to a tragedy fifteen years earlier—and asks if Eran is anything like his father, a terrorist. Eran wonders the same thing, especially when people he’s known for years at his school and temple begin to look at him differently. Timely, powerful, and full of nuance, Rafi Mittlefehldt’s sophomore novel confronts the prejudices, fears, and strengths of family and community, striking right to the heart of what makes us who we are.

About the Author

Rafi Mittlefehldt is a writer who has worked as a newspaper reporter, freelance theater critic, and children’s author. His debut novel was It Looks Like This. Rafi Mittlefehldt lives with his husband in New York City.